Returning Navy ships anchor commemoration

Sailors and Marines composing the Naval Task Force (NTF) 82 under the Joint Task Force “Pagpauli” commemorated the 122nd Philippine Independence Day aboard BRP Davao Del Sur (LD602) and BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PS16) as they reached the waters of Manila Bay after months at sea in the Middle East.

PS16 and LD602 sailed in formation with onboard personnel creating the human formation of figure 122 for a photo exercise captured from the embarked AW109 naval helicopter which also conducted flight deck operations or its take-off and landing on Davao del Sur’s surface while the ship was in motion.

Col. Noel Beleran, NTF commander, relayed the Independence Day message for the troops of Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff, Gen. Felimon Santos Jr.

With them are the 30 Filipino repatriates from India and Sri Lanka who just completed their mandatory quarantine with no one exhibiting symptoms of the dreaded coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Apart from the Philippine Navy extending repatriation efforts, the returning residents were also provided with other interventions such as counseling and physical activities to uplift their morale and well-being.

NTF 82 will be formally accorded arrival honors at Pier 15 in Manila next week after which they will undergo swab testing for COVID-19.

Both vessels’ journey back to the Philippines was delayed due to technical problems and bad weather last month.